I Shouldn't Love You
by AshAnime
Summary: Her. Her and her aqua blue eyes staring down at him. Telling him… "I think I'm the one who should be thanking you." Zuko is fire lord, Aang is a fully realized avatar and the gang has finally found peace after everything that went down seven months ago. But is Zuko's mind really at rest? Because he's been having dreams. Dreams about a certain waterbender... ZUTARA/ZUKOXKATARA
1. Chapter 1

**R&R**

Hello anyone who decides to read this:) I've been wanting to write Zutara fanfic for sooooo long but I didn't have a good enough plot. Now I do and I can't wait to get this rolling. This will be a multi-chapter fic and I can't wait for you guys to read and review it! Please tell me what you think!

**NOTE:** This story takes place after the last season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The story line will not reference the graphic novels The Promise or The Search at all. Quite frankly i'm kind of mad about what they did with Zuko's character in those.

_**Thanks and ENJOY!**_

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**Chapter 1: Zuko**

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_"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."_

Zuko bolted upright in bed, his sweat-covered chest heaving with the difficulty it took to breath. He clenched his fists in satin sheets and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Shaky hands came up to the scar in the middle of his chest as he gulped for air.

Seven months.

Even after seven months this nightmare, this _plague_, refused to leave his mind.

"Zuko?" Mai's sleep weary voice muttered behind him. "Come back to bed." A pale hand lightly tugged on his arm, jolting him out of his drowning thoughts.

"I'll be right back," he mumbled. Zuko felt around in the dark for his robes and quickly shrugged them on. The stone floor was cold and inviting against his numb feet as he made his way towards the bathroom. He was almost afraid to see his reflection in the mirror.

Sure enough, dark, hallowed out eyes greeted him as soon as he turned on the bathroom light.

This needed to stop. He was fire lord now. He had a lifetime of reigning to be worrying about. His mind shouldn't be dwelling on the events of the past. Zuko's father was defeated and his sister was safely tucked away in a mental facility. He was happily engaged to Mai and the nation seemed willing enough to except her as their fire lady.

Except for the rumors going around that she was barren.

"Zuko? Are you ok in there?" Mai called out, once again bringing him back to the here and now. He rubbed his temple and splashed cold water on his face. It should have helped to dispel the things racing through his head, but all it did was remind him of her.

_Her._

Her and her aqua blue eyes staring down at him. Telling him…

_"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."_

Zuko groaned. "I'm coming, Mai," he called out. He didn't need another big fiasco of guards knocking down the bathroom door, like the time he had accidentally fell asleep in the tub.

An embarrassing story that continued to circulate around the palace.

Zuko wiped his face with a towel and quietly returned to bed. He was hoping that Mai had fallen back asleep, but her arms slid across his waist and hugged him into her chest.

"More nightmares?" she asked.

He swallowed and tried to push away the guilt eating at his brain. "Yeah but I'm fine now. Go back to sleep."

From her silence he could tell Mai wasn't buying it, but a minute later she rolled over and sighed. "Whatever. Goodnight."

Zuko pressed his lips together and stared up at the ceiling.

Seven months.

Even after seven months he couldn't stop thinking about her.

_Her._

Katara.

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So how do you like chapter 1? The Next one is going to be called Katara and will be in her point of view! I can't wait till this really takes off. Please tell me if I should write more or not and thanks for reading!

BYE!:D


	2. Chapter 2

**R&R**

OMG, writing this chapter was harder then it should have been. I just wasn't that satisfied with it and kept revising over and over again. I definitely like writing Zuko more then Katara but I want to keep switching POVS each chapter. Maybe it'll get easier once we delve into the plot.

Anyways, Sorry for the long wait and...

**ENJOY**

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**Chapter 2: Katara**

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Fresh snow crunched beneath Katara's feet as she paced back and forth. Aang went penguin sledding with little children of her tribe hours ago. Now all she could do was worry and fret over what she would say once he got back.

And exactly what _would_ she say?

_Aang I love you but…_

_You know you make me happy but I…_

_The thing is…_

Katara let out a strangled cry of frustration and halted her march. No matter how she worded it in her head she still sounded like an ungrateful girlfriend. She folded her arms and looked out across the bright snow. Relief flooded her features as she spotted Aang cresting a hill with the other children.

"Katara!" he called, waving his arms back and forth with a wide grin stretched across his face. The other children followed his example, belting her name across the white snow.

She shook her head in exasperation and allowed a small smile to pierce through her worried gaze. These were the moments that convinced her more then ever that Aang would make an excellent father.

"Fresh snow makes penguin sledding so much better!" he cheered once he was finally within reach of her. The little kids went back to their tents, going on and on about how cool Avatar Aang was.

The last air bender grabbed Katara's hands and pulled her into him. "You should have came with us," he whispered in her ear.

Katara's cheeks reddened as she leaned away from him. "We need to talk."

Aang's excited smile turned into a nervous one. "Sure. I kind of wanted to talk too." He scratched the back of his bald head and ushered them into her family's tent. They were lucky enough to have the place to themselves for the moment. The warm candle light would have made it romantic, if it weren't for their jitters.

"You go first," Katara muttered, ringing her hands together.

Aang shook his head. "No, you."

They both looked at each other uneasily.

"How about we both say whatever we have to say… at the same time?"

Aang nodded enthusiastically at this idea.

Katara huffed and held up three fingers. "Three… two… one!"

"I want to travel!"  
"I need some space!"

A single dark brow rose above piercing blue eyes. "You want to travel?"

The boy with the arrow returned the same gaze. "You need… space?" Aang frowned. "Sure I want to travel, but I'd prefer if it were with you. What's going on, Katara?"

There they were. What she feared the most. The puppy dog eyes.

"Aang I love you, you know that. It's just that lately I've been feeling… trapped. People don't even call me by my name anymore. It's always 'The Avatar's Girlfriend'."

"Well if you're feeling trapped come with me!" Aang exclaimed, the excited smile returning to his face. "I've spent the past seven months with your family but the world should know it's Avatar, Katara. I want to meet the people I saved."

Katara sighed. She really did love the boy before her, but sometimes he simple didn't listen. He was too blinded by his own ambitious thoughts to really hear her. She was beginning to think that maybe she should go traveling with him. If it made him happy then…

No.

She deserved to be happy too. It wasn't like she was breaking up with Aang, she just wanted a little space, that's all. He'd go traveling and be back eventually.

"I'm not going," she announced, getting a crest-fallen face from her boyfriend. "It will be alright Aang. You'll get to travel and I'll get a little space. We'll be even closer once you get back."

"This is three months we're talking about here, Katara. I'll be gone for three whole months."

She frowned. "We've been going non-stop since the eclipse. We need this, Aang."

His mood didn't lighten but he nodded his head anyway. "Alright. I was thinking of throwing a going away party, you know? We can invite Toph and Zuko! Are Sokka and Suki still visiting Kioshi?"

Katara heaved a great sigh of relief at his newfound distraction. "I'm sure everyone will be able to make it, though it might be hard for Zuko. He is Fire Lord after all…"

"You're right, but we'll make it work." Her boyfriend graced her with a warm grin and wrapped his arms around her. "We always do."

Katara nodded and immediately squashed each and every one of her stupid worries. Her nervousness from before now seemed ridiculous. When it came to making things work, her and Aang were really good at it. It was one of the many reasons why she was proud to call him her boyfriend.

She leaned forward and kissed him gently.

"What are we waiting for? Let's send out the invitations!"

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Sorry for all of the fluffy Kataang in this chapter. There will definitely be Zutara soon! I just want this to be as realistic and cannon as possible. I want it to seem like all of this could have really happened after the show:)

_Thankyou: _

**lawliness**

**KatLover4Ever**

**Zummer101**

**navatar**

**Brittany**

and

**Kimberly T **

_for reviewing!_

See you next chapter!


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